New York Yankees Rookie Shows Promise As Possible Gerrit Cole Replacement

In light of the injury news regarding New York Yankees starters Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, 25-year-old right-hander Will Warren was called upon to make his fourth appearance and third start of the spring against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Warren displayed confidence on the mound, showing no signs of being overwhelmed by the situation. He effectively utilized his full arsenal of pitches to keep the Tigers off balance on Monday afternoon.

In his previous outings, Warren was solid, throwing 8.0 innings, allowing only one earned run on two hits, while walking two batters and striking out 11. This marks a significant improvement from his brief stint with the Yankees in 2024, during which he struggled in five starts.

Featuring two types of fastballs, a plus slider and a changeup, Warren pitched aggressively with good tempo, effectively using his defense. His final line for the game was 3.2 innings pitched, two runs allowed (one earned), two hits allowed, one walk, and one strikeout.

Warren displayed excellent movement on his sinker and effectively mixed it with his four-seam fastball, avoiding hard contact for most of the day.

Some of the higher exit-velocites allowed were ground balls hit early in counts, and one slicing liner hit by Tigers outfielder Colt Keith in the second inning that was snagged by newly acquired Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger, who made a nice running catch in left center.

Warren encountered trouble in the third inning. After being staked to a 3-0 lead, the last thing a starter should do is issue free passes to the opponent. Leadoff walks can be detrimental, and this led to Warren’s difficulties.

Following a flyout by Jace Jung, Warren induced a double-play ball up the middle into the shift off the bat of Ryan Kriedler, but the ball clipped second base and handcuffed Yankees second baseman Jorbit Vivas. Instead of an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, it resulted in runners on first and second with one out.

Warren then left a sinker up in the zone to former Yankee Gleyber Torres, who cleared the bases with a two-run double. This was the lone blemish on Warren’s outing. Although it started with a leadoff walk, the damage could have been minimized with better luck, defense and pitch location. Good to elite pitchers typically find a way to navigate such jams, an area where Warren can learn and grow.

After 57 pitches and two outs in the third, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to pull Warren, concluding what was a positive outing for him.

Warren asked about his approach to knowing the situation of the rotation by YES Network after his start.

“I think I came into camp knowing that I was lower on the totem pole, but I had a little chip on my shoulder – let’s go get a spot, take a spot," he said. "Injuries have occurred, but obviously, my mentality still is to go out there and be present.”

Warren’s 57 pitches included: 19 four-seam fastballs (33%) with an average speed of 93.1 mph and a proStuff+ rating of 115; 13 sinkers (23%) at an average of 92.1 mph with a proStuff+ rating of 102; 12 changeups (21%) at an average of 86.3 mph and a proStuff+ rating of 108; 11 sweepers (19%) averaging 83.4 mph with a proStuff+ rating of 132; and two curveballs (4%) at an average of 78.4 mph with a proStuff+ rating of 96.

Notably, Warren’s sweeper shows potential to be an elite pitch. During Monday’s outing, while he was able to get outs with his fastball, the sweeper, which has a spin rate in the 3000-rpm range, could become a valuable weapon in the future.

The Yankees need someone to step into the fifth spot in the rotation until Gil is ready to return. Warren possesses the necessary skills and pitch mix to fulfill this role, but it will ultimately depend on the young pitcher’s ability to rise to the occasion.

Monday afternoon represented a solid start for Warren, providing a foundation to build upon for the next three weeks.

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